MPC X, MPC Live, MPC One & MPC Key 61 Forum: Support and discussion for the MPC X, MPC Live, MPC Live II, MPC One & MPC Key 61; Akai's current generation of standalone MPCs.
By mike841 Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:22 pm
Guys/Gals,

Please tell me I'm a dunce and the procedure for changing time sigs is right there on page??!
I'll take that. But please don't tell me that it's not there, Akai is too intelligent for that. Everyone knows that MPCs are praised for their work-flow. Is that not a major work-flow feature or is it just me?
And please don't tell me about any "work-arounds" I'm about fed-up with those
I'm starting to think that I wasn't in Akai's "Target" market on this one, and I'm not mad at that. The MPCX is still a killer machine. But I was looking to have the same experience I had when I brought home my 60, 3000 and 4000, and it just ain't hapn'n.
Trying to stick with it though, cause there really is no other hardware option out there right now (I sold my Maschine in a week). just please tell me there is a procedure for changing time sigs!

Thax guys/gals
-mike
By Calcaire Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:18 pm
I also would like time signature to be easly editable. but in fact, it's already doable

you may try to insert empty bars then copy events from the 4/4 signature you recorded before. the copy events function is powerful and precise.

It's a sequencer, so it records a timeline of notes on a precise tempo.. time signature is just a way to slice the time line in any parts, so make a new sequences, delete all bars, insert new bars with correct time signature, then copy events from your original sequence.. Seems long, but when you get it it's a few seconds
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By Ibunshi Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:47 pm
For me, the point of being able to edit timesigs on already recorded bars, is experimentation with what was not initially intended to be...

My X lacking the ability to do this, along with there being no 2nd Sequence feature as can be seen on the 4000, are now pretty much the only two reasons I can't just get rid of the 4000.

The workarounds on the X, deleting/inserting new bars with differ time signatures, and then doing copy/paste stuff is so tedious that you might as well decide on default timesigs and take it from there and just skip the experimentation part..

When the workaround is slower than me just recording it in Cubase and cutting off parts there, then I'd rather avoid the workaround.. and that's what I currently do..

If I want edit it, it's easy to do right on audio lane after I've recorded it...

But there shouldn't be workarounds for timesig edits on legendary rhythm boxes..

When I bought my X, I expected it to be an upgrade, the way it had been before for me whenever I bought a new MPC..

But this time, something related to rhythm had been dumbed down, or rather, not quite thought through..

But they COULD have taken what was and improved on the editing function...

For example, on the 4000, if you edited a 4/4 bar to 3/4, it would cut the last part of the bar..

But this time they could have made it so that you get to choose which one 1/4th that you want to cut away to change it to 3/4, and be able to do this in a special menu that allows you to maybe move that 1/4 to a different position in a different bar, to turn it from a 4/4 to a 5/4

Basically to do with midi, what you can do on the audio lane in Cubase just from cutting out parts and moving it around and it's super fast..

But I'd take the basic edit you could do on the 4000 too, because that's an upgrade compared to what the X has..

Still use the insert feature though, just can't edit with it, so it's only when I want to actually add something rather than remove.
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By hyena Sun Jan 07, 2024 4:25 pm
yes, exactly like tutor said, you need to edit the sequence and insert bars with a new time sig.

anyway, the lack of proper time sig management along with other sequencer related stuff like no step recording is the reason why i bought back an mpc 1000 with jjos2xl. man, the sequencer is so much better, even if it lacks modern features like ratcheting or probability... both for sequencing internal samples and external midi gear this is great. another thing that's absolutely genius is the ability to see and record\edit directly on the main page, then only if you really need to work on details you go to the proper piano roll page... so great. even the audio record features are awesome for such an old and limited machine. not to diss current mpc's, i still have my mpc live og but it's getting less and less use the more i get back to get used to jj....
By B-Wise Sun Jan 07, 2024 4:54 pm
hyena wrote:another thing that's absolutely genius is the ability to see and record\edit directly on the main page, then only if you really need to work on details you go to the proper piano roll page...


That's a dope feature I liked too. Luckily the Force can kinda do that while in Launch+Seq mode where the top 32 pads become a step sequencer & the bottom 32 pads are 2 banks of drums pads for play notes.

I wonder if Akai would ever rehire JJ & if he would even want to work for them again?
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By hyena Sun Jan 14, 2024 12:43 am
B-Wise wrote:
hyena wrote:another thing that's absolutely genius is the ability to see and record\edit directly on the main page, then only if you really need to work on details you go to the proper piano roll page...


That's a dope feature I liked too. Luckily the Force can kinda do that while in Launch+Seq mode where the top 32 pads become a step sequencer & the bottom 32 pads are 2 banks of drums pads for play notes.

I wonder if Akai would ever rehire JJ & if he would even want to work for them again?


jj on board would be absolutely gamechanger imho!
By jamos Sun Jan 14, 2024 7:13 am
No matter what we use it for, InMusic will always see the MPC as a hip-hop machine. Hence stem separation, but no time signature and tempo changes.

What we need is for hip-hop to grow up and stop confining itself to layered loops in 4/4 and fixed tempi.
By B-Wise Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:43 am
jamos wrote:No matter what we use it for, InMusic will always see the MPC as a hip-hop machine. Hence stem separation, but no time signature and tempo changes.

What we need is for hip-hop to grow up and stop confining itself to layered loops in 4/4 and fixed tempi.

Yeah only Hip-Hop uses 4/4 time... :roll:
On all MPCs you can change the sig, maybe not in a way you like but don't blame a genre of music for that. Each track on the current MPCs can even have different bar lengths.
By RandomVibration Sun Jan 14, 2024 6:17 pm
jamos wrote:What we need is for hip-hop to grow up and stop confining itself to layered loops in 4/4 and fixed tempi.


Growing up means accepting things as they are and dealing with it. Akai gives a way to deal with it. Not everyone is using MPCs for hip-hop and they found a way to deal with its shortcomings. Maybe you should find a tool that works better for your purposes? That’s pretty grown up.
By dunkeyman Sun Jan 14, 2024 7:53 pm
jamos wrote:No matter what we use it for, InMusic will always see the MPC as a hip-hop machine. Hence stem separation, but no time signature and tempo changes.

What we need is for hip-hop to grow up and stop confining itself to layered loops in 4/4 and fixed tempi.


3/4 literally works for stuff like waltzes and cannot work for hip hop